The Book of Acts: Turn Your World Upside DownSample

Today’s Devotional:

Chapter 8 is a major turning point in the story of the early Church. This is like a massive billboard, blinking lights-type moment. This is your professor saying, “You might want to write this down,” as it is surely important.

“The Way” of Jesus, as referred to in the following chapter, takes a major advance forward. But this spreading of the gospel occurs due to Stephen’s death and the ensuing persecution of the believers. Out of something tragic, something good occurs. People fled as “Saul was going everywhere to destroy the Church,” which brought about the opportunity to share the gospel in previously deemed unimportant places.

The chaos leads believers (Philip’s dramatic encounters are given in chapter 8 as just an example!) to preach in Samaria. We might be tempted to gloss over this proper noun as another Mediterranean city we don’t know, but it carries major significance. Deep, longtime political and religious divides led Jews to call them traitors of God. Their insults also had racial undertones, as they were called “half-breeds” for intermarrying with pagan foreigners during a time of foreign occupation. By Jesus’ time, Samaria was so hated that most Jews would travel long distances to avoid the region. Jesus bucked the system by cutting through the area, interacting with the Samaritan woman at the well, staying in Samaria for several days, and setting up the Good Samaritan as the hero of the famous parable. Now the apostles are actively ministering in Samaria, welcoming them into the movement of Jesus!

But the spread of the gospel doesn’t stop there. Philip encounters an African eunuch who previously would have been kept on the fringes of faith. His nationality would always restrict him to the outer courts of the temple. But his physical condition would perpetually render him unclean. As Philip explains the impact of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the eunuch puts him on the spot by asking about baptism. He forces the issue to see if he could truly be welcomed as a fully participating member of this new movement.

Because of this chapter, the Jesus movement spreads out of Jerusalem. It welcomes those who are different. It includes those with different backgrounds. It includes those who speak different languages. It expands to the nations. We see the fulfillment of Jesus’s words in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” I’m so thankful his message spread around the world to include you and me.

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Today’s devotional was written by Pastor Daniel Roach.

Questions to Consider:

• How might God redeem the hardships in your life for a greater purpose?
• What walls have you built to avoid those who are different from you?
• How will you share Jesus with those who may seem on the outside of faith and hard to reach?

Prayer:

God, we confess that we build walls with those whom we don’t like and who are different from us. We know you have called each and every one of us to be your witness, both near and far. Give us the courage to connect with, listen to, and share the message of hope with those around us. Amen.